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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Apr 2, 2002

The birthplace of a famous novel is still inspiring visitors today

"I had spent three nights at hot springs near the center of the peninsula," Yasunari Kawabata wrote in his short novel "The Izu Dancer," published in 1925. "And now, my fourth day out of Tokyo, I was climbing toward Amagi Pass and South Izu."
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2002

MMC president-to-be leaves no stone unturned

When he arrived in Tokyo more than a year ago from the Railsystem Unit of the DaimlerChrysler Group, Rolf Eckrodt, vice president and chief operating officer of Mitsubishi Motors Corp., gave each MMC executive a piece of the Berlin Wall encased in clear plastic.
COMMENTARY
Mar 25, 2002

There's more to a name than meets the eye

As someone who has crossed the Pacific Ocean over 450 times since 1956, I am constantly fascinated by the similarities and differences between the United States and Japan. Among the challenges facing someone who lives in both societies is that what is so positive in one country can often be so negative...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 24, 2002

Shaping up nicely

There is something about landscaped Japanese gardens that suggests timelessness, a phenomenon apparently contrary to that Japanese tendency to locate beauty in what is fleeting in this world.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 24, 2002

The past made perfect

THE POLITICS OF RUINS AND THE BUSINESS OF NOSTALGIA, by Maurizio Peleggi. Studies in Contemporary Thailand, No. 10, forward by Craig J. Reynolds. Bangkok: White Lotus Press., 2002, 100 pp., 450 baht (paper) Now that Kyoto is to all intents "Kyotoland," it might be instructive to turn to other countries...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 24, 2002

How does your balcony garden grow?

If you're chafing about the city's dearth of green spaces, but you're blessed with a balcony, you could make your own garden. It could be your little contribution toward greening the city. If you haven't tried it before, you might be pleasantly surprised by how much joy a tiny space brimming with leaves...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 24, 2002

Tune in for the final stretch

Next Sunday, Nippon TV's irreverent variety show "Denpa Shonen," the prototype of bizarre Japanese reality-TV programs, will once again end its long successful run with a pledge to be reincarnated in the near future. On Saturday at 9 p.m., however, there will be a special two-hour installment summing...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 20, 2002

Not just cartooning around

Having devoured all 23 volumes of illustrator Herge's "The Adventures of Tintin" during my childhood, I've never since felt inclined to pick them up again. Nonetheless -- though the scrapes of the Belgian boy reporter and his canine sidekick Snowy began life as a cartoon strip in the children's weekly...
COMMENTARY
Mar 17, 2002

U.S. embargo helps keep Castro in power

HAVANA -- Roberto Alarcon, well-dressed but of unexceptional appearance, is thought to be the No. 3 man in Cuba, after only Fidel and Raul Castro. He lazily sprawled in his chair before eight American journalists, fondling his cigar.
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Mar 17, 2002

Favorites that come widely recommended

The information in this column usually covers the gamut of sake nomenclature, types and brewing methods, as well as culture, history and the occasional oddities. But beyond the single recommendation in each column, rarely does it address the question, "So, uh, what are the good sake? What should I be...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 17, 2002

Umaya: Dining in the presence of greatness

When the man behind a major new restaurant is a kabuki actor, it's inevitable that there's going to be strong public interest. When that actor happens to be Ichikawa Ennosuke -- the flamboyant superstar of his self-styled "super kabuki" -- you can expect the buzz to be massive.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2002

Political winds still shape Chinese history

HONG KONG -- Historical revelations are rarely found in China's controlled presses. When they are, they have to be treated with care. Rewriting history remains part and parcel of Chinese politics. Chinese academics still get imprisoned for revealing documents that are in the public domain outside China....
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2002

'Economy watchers' see rise in business

Sentiment on the front lines of the workforce improved for the fourth month in a row in February, although pessimistic workers continue to outnumber those with an optimistic outlook, according to a government report released Monday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / THE PARENT TRIP
Mar 8, 2002

Not every parent wants a model child

I had noticed the woman in the shop, but hadn't really thought anything of her. She was watching me as I tried to keep an eye on Alex, my hyperactive 2 1/2-year-old son, while at the same time picking my way through the kids' section to find a new jacket for him.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Mar 7, 2002

Waiting with ravens for hunter and hunted to die

Nature Diary notes for Friday, Feb. 8: Lake Kussharo to Notoro Misaki, then along the Sea of Okhotsk coast to Utoro.
EDITORIALS
Mar 2, 2002

Launching a human rights board

The Justice Ministry is preparing legislation to create a powerful human rights commission that would recommend corrective measures, assist in lawsuits and take other steps to help victims of discrimination, abuse and other human rights violations. The government, which plans to send a related bill to...
BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
Feb 26, 2002

Avoiding strikeouts when you decide who to promote

When it comes to success rate, business shares at least one thing with baseball -- you tend to strike out a lot more than you get on base.
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Feb 24, 2002

Like mama, like son

George's Bar, on a corner of the former site of the Defense Agency headquarters in Roppongi, needs no introduction to its hundreds of regulars. For those who haven't dropped by recently, though, I have some good news and some bad news.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2002

Fake bills land three on Interpol list

Police on Wednesday put three people from Taiwan on an Interpol wanted list for allegedly using fake 10,000 yen bills in Asakusa, Tokyo.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2002

Tax office urges early filing

Japan's tax-filing season opened Monday with more than 500 local tax offices nationwide accepting income tax returns, the National Tax Agency said.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 15, 2002

Pilgrims taking the long and winding road to ramen heaven

One mind-boggling feature of Japan's media is its sheer, singleminded dedication to and passionate obsession with food. This especially applies to the genre known as menrui (noodles). From somen and soba to Vietnamese pho and supa (spaghetti), the Japanese have always had an inordinate love for nagai...
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2002

Investors swap stocks, MMFs for gold

Japanese individual investors are increasingly shying away from financial products with potential risk, especially after the sudden collapse of U.S. energy giant Enron Corp. dealt a severe blow to popular money management funds.
LIFE / Lifestyle / LEARNING BY HEART
Feb 15, 2002

Shitamachi schoolmates still together at 70

What is the secret of lifelong friendships that form in elementary school? I would never have thought to ask myself that question until my father-in-law announced he wouldn't be home for Sunday's family dinner because he was attending a party. Though he put it quite casually, the amazing thing to me...
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2002

Yokohama locals put U.S. Navy's land to good use

YOKOHAMA -- It may be a bit hard to believe that in this day and age you can get free farmland in Yokohama.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2002

Jewelry van robbed of 50 million yen

Three bags of jewelry items worth some 50 million yen were apparently stolen Wednesday from a van used by a jewelry store employee while it was parked on a street in Tokyo's Taito Ward, police said.
Japan Times
Events
Feb 5, 2002

Artificial jellyfish find niche market with aquarium hobbyists

NARA -- Jellyfish swimming up and down inside a water tank may be a comforting sight to see, but keeping them alive is another matter entirely. Help, however, is on the way, said Hideaki Okuda, a maker of artificial jellyfish.
Japan Times
JAPAN / WORKING IT OUT
Feb 5, 2002

Are 'freeters' result of slump, source of next one?

Tomoko Noguchi, 22, got her first bar hostess job about three years ago, while studying to become an aesthetician at a vocational school.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 3, 2002

A little bit of Martha in every rabbit hutch

Considering the state of the Japanese economy, the current popularity of penny-pinching advice in the media is hardly surprising. There seems to be a fundamental paradox at work here, in that advertisers prefer programs and articles which encourage the spending of money, while the advice given out these...

Longform

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